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Like this:

Yes, it’s true. I am being ever so cliché and taking on a diet for my New Year’s Resolution. A YARN diet. You’ve all seen the Yarnerator. I have worked at two incredibly successful and inspiring yarn shops – Purl Soho and Knitche. I’ve also been knitting for over 8 years. The sad truth of it all – my Yarnerator canNOT even hold all the yarn I call my own.

You think I’m kidding? Ask my mother. The first time she saw my stash was just over a year ago. My mother knows nothing of knitting. She says to me, “Uh … Amanda … do you ever have a project in mind when you buy yarn?” with a look of utter confusion. Those of us in the yarn world know THERE’S NO SUCH THING. The sadder truth, my stash has grown by at least 50% since that encounter – but A LOT of that has already been used … maybe – I don’t know exactly how the math works out.

I have many resolutions this year. One is to get out of my apartment more. Freelancing, knit design, and general knitting are not activities which are great for getting me out of the house and I have decided this is the year I will try harder to meet a man – OKCupid is NOT doing it for me. Another was to not buy yarn until I have finished three projects – two of which had to be from my stash. I decided this was not good enough once I took into account all that I made in 2014:

While I am incredibly proud of all that I made in 2014 (and I don’t think this is even the whole of it), maybe 15% came from stash (part of Diamond in the Gradient, the stripe of my Staggered Cowl, two thirds of By the Mayside, half of Sparrow, meet Habu, Geometry Trapezoid, Janna’s Tunic ::Part Deux, and half of Chevron Stripes hat). Two projects were sponsored, but I bought the yarn for everything else! I am SO proud to have supported Local Yarn Shops, but I have to remember I am a broke-ass female! Here in is where I birthed my newest New Year’s … let’s call it a dare.

The end of Fall has been incredibly fast-paced as I’m sure you all would agree! Before we start, I advise you all to read through to the end of this post to catch some exciting news items. And now, I wish I’d had the time to share this story sooner, but alas:

The Tale of DeConstruction

First and foremost, I want to thank my wonderful friends of Ravelry for making my newest pattern such a success. For my second knit pattern, I felt like a novelist does about a second book … PRESSURE! As a young woman still trying to find her way, I was so thrilled with the spread of Staggered Cowl; I couldn’t ever imagine matching that. Even worse, I feared I would be … a one-hit-wonder.

It was the concept of Staggered Cowl that brought Blacker Yarns into my world. It was fate that Sonja of Blacker Yarns, based in the UK, actually grew up in the town which I currently reside. Sonja contacted me about possibly collaborating and we instantly clicked.

Blacker Yarns is a brand of The Natural Fibre Company, a wool mill specializing in adding value to fleece supplied by local farmers and turning it into high-quality knitting yarn. They believe in a sustainable system that supports the unique breeds, UK farmers, and the bright future of all yarn crafts.

The first thing that really struck me is when Sonja told me – they know all the sheep from which their wool comes. I ask you – how is that not awesome?! Blacker Yarns sent me a gorgeous glimpse of samples and I was in love. I’ve always been enamored of heathered neutrals, strong pops of color, and real wool from my familial roots of the British Isles. Blacker Yarns instantly proved to be a company able to provide all of these qualities and they could not be more pleasant to work with.

Feeling the pressure of from my first pattern and wanting to release something special before Christmas, I was waiting for inspiration to strike. One day, while accessorizing for a family event, I was trying desperately to mix a favored printed scarf and a cowl I had knit. I just couldn’t make it work, so I went with my hand knit item (of course). While socializing, I started noticing the multitude of printed scarves and realized just how unique they can be. My personal stash has been accumulated from lands afar and years a plenty. My struggles from earlier that day were still with me while this light bulb flashed and suddenly, I had my new pattern.

Sonja saw this come through the channels with the hastened sketch to the left. This was also when I learned that it is very difficult to draw a braid. Even worse … a braid IN a braid – totally blew my mind. I went fractal. I had to let it go, LET IT GO – this is where my niece tells me “No, no-no-no-no-no, no. No singing.” Who can say that anymore without singing?! Anyway – after I sent this drawing, I believe Sonja was frightful of the relationship she had just instigated … luckily she didn’t hear the singing.

My first step, and those who know me will attest, I needed to pick colors. True to form, I wanted a solid base of neutrals accompanied by pops of color. The original structure was for a grey set and a brown set, because we all learned from our mothers – one must never mix black with brown. Blacker Elegance was the perfect line for the neutral foundation. The color pops would filter in as your daily outfit dictated, but what to choose for sampling? For my signature, bright selection, Blacker Swan Over-Dyed Falkland Merino shined brightly as this line has a wide range of saturated hues from which it was difficult to make a selection! Also, this yarn is scrumptiously soft.

It was a blast knitting, frogging, mathemitizing, button-holing, finalizing, playing, photographing, AND THEN writing this pattern. Those who worked with the Staggered Cowl chart have witnessed a true merge of my graphic skills, pattern oriented thought process, and color love. I am happy to report that you will not be let down with this new set of stitch patterns. I worked hard with the DeConstructed Cowl pattern to achieve a strong written and chart pattern. The charts were especially fun to play with and YES, you will discover some new symbols.

I cannot thank Blacker Yarns enough for sharing their incredible yarns with me. Blacker Elegance truly hit the spot for the perfect natural, heathered neutrals I find myself always craving. The blend of alpaca and wool is truly gorgeous and I can promise I will be knitting a cardigan with Nutmeg in the [very] near future!

Also, I re-discovered my love for blue in Blacker Swan Falkland Merino‘s Summer Sea. I thought the Whitegrass was singing true to my more recent cravings, but the Summer Sea is simply electric.

I hope you all enjoy DeConstructed Cowl as the fun and functional shape-shifter of the knitting world and as a fun journey into an array of stitch patterns. I also hope you take the time to introduce yourself to this great yarn company. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

A huge & heartfelt THANK YOU to Sonja and Blacker Yarns for this great opportunity, I can’t wait to work with you more in the future. Hint, hint something light & fresh for Spring.

“What more could she have to say?” one might ask. Lucky you – those who made it to the very end of this, my longest post to date. There are:

Some EXCITING Things To Come

My friend and gifted crocheter, Beth Strauss, and I will be collaborating on DeConstructed :: CROCHET. Watch for this pattern [hopefully] by January’s end.

Even sooner! Blacker Yarns and I will be hosting a Blacker GiveAway :: The GiveAway of DeConstruction on Instagram in early January. If you loved the very colors I used and MUST have them, start following amandaadavidson (mind the second “a” in the middle!).

And lastly – where will she find the time?! – a very near & dear friend and I will be launching a very social, very delicious, very wooly Podcast in [what?] JANUARY. Watch out for SSK (Sip, Sip, Knit) where we talk yarn, life, patterns, OKCupid-Catastrophes, and best BLOODY MARYs of Chicago.

No, really, someone please tell me where to find the time. I’m so excited for January that I might not sleep in December.

Final note: to those of you who have downloaded DeConstructed Cowl, there will be an update catching a few typos and a minor correction to the Chevron chart by the end of the week. If anyone else has caught anything, please let me know!

I’ve been working hard and long to bring some fun designs to my favorite group of people – my fellow DIY-ers.

All of these designs are near and dear to my heart. I’ve got something for knitters, a little something for crocheters, and two of my three GiftTags work for any kind of handmade item! With a checklist of washing instructions on the back, you just can’t go wrong! Make sure to grab them on Etsy in time for the holidays.

These designs are modern typographic plays combined with hand illustration. Everything is printed with my good friends at HD Design & Print right here in Chicago. They run old school on a gorgeous offset press, but with a twist of inventive design.

This is just the start. Think big with me – these designs are screaming project bags, notebooks, and surely a coffee mug!

This was a happy accident. I was knitting with one of my favorite groups and I thought my friend put on a parody – I honestly heard “I’m all about that Lace.” I then got looks of confusion followed by looks of amazement.

This is definitely a favorite because it combines two of my favorite activities. SSK [Sip, Sip, knit] – increase the fun. This card is perfect to send to a friend who hosted your last boozy knit night. I’m seeing this foil stamped gold for the cover of a grid-lined notebook.

Of course, I had to have a little something for my crocheting friends. There are three fun designs for you, including the very cool “It’s not knit, IT’S CROCHET” GiftTags.

Come out and support the shop so we can start making more fun things to promote our pride and love of crafting! Contact me on Etsy for any special quantities, sets, or designs!

A very dear friend of mine, Beth Strauss, is very passionate about crochet. It’s how she keeps connected to her cherished great aunt who was very involved in her family’s history. When Beth came to work at Knitche in Downers Grove, she only knew how to crochet, but was soon broken down and she learned to knit. She is now well versed in both crafts, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.

This past summer, Chicago held its annual Yarn Crawl. Knitche was about to only feature a knit pattern for the event until our beloved Beth insisted on designing a crochet pattern. Featuring one of our new favorite yarns, Quince & Co.Osprey, Beth created the Rolling Waves shawl. Rolling Waves is decked to the nines with modern striping play and a trendy handkerchief fit.

When it came to sharing Rolling Waves with the World, Beth came to me for a clean and clear layout. Using a breakdown of the visual pattern and hand lettering, we made her pattern sing. I was so happy to help Beth release her first pattern and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

This is one of my favorite pieces from the vault. I designed this while living in Bushwick Brooklyn, NY.

I’ve always admired a man in a clean button-down and classy tie. I wanted to create a neck piece that was hip, fun, but still reserved and, well, dapper. Using a smaller yarn and gauge helped achieve that goal. To give an interesting texture, I used a series of stitches over a 3 row repeat.

Perfect for the professional in your life. Stay classy, World.

Two of my lovely Brooklyn loftmates entertained my request to photograph them wearing my creations. They chose to channel JCrew for inspiration while we played on our rooftop.

This is a simple pattern. Even though I learned to crochet in high school, I hardly ever do it! I chose to crochet this design because it gives a slightly thicker fabric and for a tie, you want a sturdy finish so it stays put.

This pattern will be free until 5pm Friday, August 28th to attract a pool of testers.

I originally knit this pattern as a birthday present for Mom. It became a problem when I always wanted to steal it from her.

While working a shift at Knitche one day, I witnessed the arrival of Blue Sky Alpaca Extra. My first reaction was to wrap the hank of yarn around my neck and cuddle up. I decided this was the perfect yarn to re-knit my cabled cowl.

I’ve been pouring over the chart for this design for quite some time, trying to bring in my graphic knowledge to help make it more user friendly. I’m excited to get feedback on this to make the pattern even better.

To get help, I’m releasing this temporarily as a free pattern. Please help out!

Update: A hearty THANK YOU to the 1400 Ravelers who downloaded my pattern in the last 24 hours! I’ve been so excited to see such warm response to my first published design. Now that I have a great pool of testers, I will be charging a small fee for downloads. I look forward to your feedback and can’t wait to see the projects start popping up!

This last year, I’ve been fortunate enough to be on an intensive knitting binge … and I still just cannot stop. Lately I have been knitting garment after garment. My most recent accomplishment is my Violette Seater.

As soon as I saw the pattern for Sombra in the Summer 2014 issue of PomPom Quarterly, I knew I must knit it. I set out to find a great lace weight yarn to use – it was a whole new world as I hadn’t really knit with such a light weight yarn before.

I decided on The Fibre Company Meadow because I highly admired the color and fiber blends. I love yarns with depth to them!

This was a very fun pattern to knit and goes very quickly. The color is achieved simply by adding in strands of yarn. The lightest section (the background) is just one strand while the darkest section is three strands thick using all colors.

This has turned out to be one of my favorite knit items – I love the fit AND I love the color layout. As soon as the temperatures cooperate, I’ll be wearing this quite often!

The weather [finally] warming up and choosing the right light-weight garment to knit can help to coax the warm temperatures.

This Spring, I was lucky to take on a test knit for a knitwear designer I’ve admired for awhile, Sara Gresbach of Front Porch Knitting (see her profile). In March, Sara posted a call for Portico, a t-shirt she designed. Sara asked that we use the yarn the pattern called for, Luna Grey‘s Aspen Sport. This 100% superwash merino wool was hand-dyed the day after I ordered it and I received it within the week.

I chose to work this t-shirt by working both sides at the same time. Probably doesn’t really speed up the process, but when you’re done, you’re done – no going back to the beginning!

I was very happy with the final garment! For more info and notes, see my Portico project page